Sailor dies in lifeboat drill on the world’s biggest liner
A SAILOR on the world’s biggest cruise ship died after a lifeboat plummeted into the sea during a safety drill yesterday.
Four other members of the crew on the Harmony of the Seas were injured, two of them critically.
The giant vessel, which made its maiden voyage in May, was carrying out the training exercise during a one- day stopover in Marseilles.
The lifeboat became detached from the moored ship and plunged about 35ft from the fifth deck.
‘The shock was so violent that one of the crew members died almost instantly from head injuries,’ said Marseilles deputy mayor Dominique Vlasto.
The man killed was a 42-year-old Filipino. Three of the injured crew members were also from the Philippines, while the fourth was an Indian national.
French police said they might order the 227,000-ton liner, which can carry more than 6,000 passengers and 2,400 crew, to remain in port while they investigate. Prosecutor Xavier Tarabeux said the probe would focus on why a rope securing the lifeboat broke free.
A statement issued by Royal Caribbean, which owns the ship, said: ‘We are sorry to share the sad news that a crew member aboard Harmony of the Seas has died of injuries suffered during a lifeboat drill conducted while docked at the port of Marseilles.
‘ Four other crew members received medical treatment in the same incident. We are keeping our colleagues and their families in our thoughts and prayers.’ Built in the STX boatyard in the French port of Saint-Nazaire, the Oasis-class liner has 16 decks and boasts 20 restaurants, 23 swimming pools and almost 2,500 rooms.
It is 396 yards long – a distance greater than the height of the Eiffel Tower. The vessel was branded a ‘floating construction site’ by passengers on board for its first trip from Southampton to Rotterdam and a subsequent sailing to Cherbourg.
They complained contractors were still carrying out vital work.
Holes were left in floors and walls, the hot water cut out, 90 per cent of children’s rides were out of service and sleep was impossible in some rooms as drilling carried on through the night, the passengers said.
They also said the top deck of the vessel was littered with hazards including loose cables, blow torches, open paint tins and power tools.
A spokesman for the company said at the time: ‘As always, Royal Caribbean’s highest priority is to ensure the safety of all its guests and crew members and any final maintenance is being carried out in accordance with strict safety guidelines.’
The Harmony of the Seas arrived in Marseilles early yesterday morning from Palma de Majorca and was due to leave after less than 24 hours for Italy.
It is on an eight-day Mediterranean cruise starting out from Rome.